Rap | Music Notes

The world of hip hop and gangsta rap is a controversial one and the top rappers are in the news for their personal lives as much as their recording career. 50 Cent is amongst these controversial rappers, a man who grew up in a tough section of Queens, New York City and became a drug dealer at a very young age. His public image and the 50 Cent songs reflect his difficult upbringing.

50 Cent has achieved critical and commercial success, gaining the respect of other artists in the genre and being nominated for ten Grammy Awards. His musical career was helped by a meeting with Jam Master Jay from Run-DMC, who took him under his wing. Jay showed him how a recording studio works and gave tips on writing songs. The debut album from 50 Cent was produced by Jay but it was not released. His next step was to sign for Columbia Records in 1999, releasing an album called The Power of the Dollar. Two controversial 50 Cent songs were released as singles, How to Rob and Ghetto Qu’ran and were successful.

Columbia Records dropped the rapper after he was shot and wounded in a gun attack. No other American label would take him on, so he went to Canada and made an album there called Guess Who’s Back. 50 Cent made a comeback, forming a relationship with producer, Sha Money XL and helping to form the record label, G-Unit. He did re-mixes of other artists’ work, including Jay-Z. G-Unit was a success and signed many other acts.

50 Cent became a household name after the release of his album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’ from 2003. It was number one in America and number two in the UK. This was followed by the album, The Massacre in 2005, which reached number one in the US and the UK. Both of these albums went platinum and brought 50 Cent songs to the attention of the public and other rappers. He has provided guest vocals on records by Missy Elliot, Eminem, Mary J.Blige and Mobb Deep.

The rapper, who was born Curtis James Jackson III, has come a long way from the tough neighborhood of Queens. He now lives in a home that used to belong to boxer Mike Tyson. More 50 Cent songs are scheduled for release on an album titled Before I Self Destruct, set to appear in May 2007. 50 Cent has had much publicized disputes with fellow rappers and 50 Cent songs like Get Rich Or Die Tryin and their lyrics will continue to evoke strong reactions.